Strong Arms
by gawilliams
Summary: Bones decided to discuss Booth's lie to her about where he was during the tornadoes.


_Here's another one based on last week's episode. I did one already on a more humorous note about Booth's overprotectiveness, and now this is one on a more serious note. I hope you all enjoy this one. I am almost done with the concluding chapter for _Collective Wisdom_, which has gone slower than I originally thought, and should be posting it in the next couple of days. Sorry for the delay. Gregg._

_Disclaimer: I don't own, or profit from, these characters or franchise. No copyright infringement is intended._

Bones settled back in the tub against Booth's broad, perfectly defined chest and sighed in silent relief. This was her own version of perfection these days. Relaxing in a tub of hot water with Booth behind her holding her. Never before would she have even contemplated such an intimate act with someone, unless a vigorous sex session were a part of what was happening, but with Booth the appeal was in the act of enjoying the feel of the water and the comfort of his strong arms.

Not that she wasn't still frustrated by his Alpha Male overprotectiveness, which he so callously admitted was not going to change, but she also knew she had been reckless in going after him with such a storm on the horizon, so to speak. She knew she had been wrong, but she had been so angry that he had so blatantly lied to her she'd dashed off right away using the GPS coordinates of the Sequoia in order to find him. She made a mental note to tell Angela not to mention that certain members of the Squint Squad were expert hackers. Booth knew of Angela's skills, but not all of the artists computer skills when it came to Federal databases.

"I am still concerned that you lied to me," she said once she was comfortably settled in the tub against him so that he had nowhere to go.

"Bones, even _**Sweets**_ agrees that I was right to lie about where I was," Booth argued, knowing it wouldn't do him any good. "You know, our shrinky friend who has that whole Zone of Truth nonsense?"

"I can see why you wouldn't want me to join you given the inherent dangers, even though I disagree about the level of danger I would be in, but that does not justify lying to me," she told him.

"Well, Bones, if it'll ease you justice minded conscience some, you did leave me without wheels down there in North Carolina," he reminded her. "I had to wait there with _**Sweets**_ until another vehicle arrived to get us out of there! And I have a mountain of paperwork waiting for me explaining how I let the Sequoia get destroyed. I'd say I've been sufficiently punished."

"I tend to disagree, as your remaining there with Sweets was the direct result of the storm seeing as you would have had to remain there to deal with the issue of the Sequoia anyway," she told him, enjoying the chance to tease him with a bit of logical cause and effect which she knew had a tendency to push his buttons just right to get him flustered.

"But it was with _**Sweets**_, Bones," Booth pouted. He did not want to repeat that experience since Sweets decided to punish him by talking nonstop about relationship woes and how his two favorite people needed to come back to counseling in order to make sure that all was well in the blissful state of pending parenthood. Hours and hours of that drivel!

"Why are you not getting an erection?" Bones asked, changing the subject once she noticed something odd.

"_**What?**_" Booth squeaked, wondering what in the Hell _**that**_ had to do with anything they'd been discussing.

"We are naked together in the bathtub, with my back pressed against your chest and my ass pressed against your crotch," she pointed out. "Normally when we bathe like this you are noticeably aroused within the first minute of our entering the tub, if not before. Now you are quite flaccid. Am I not sexually stimulating enough, even though you continually say I _**look great**_?"

Booth mentally cursed and sent down a fervent mental demand for Junior to get on the stick and do his job. Damn Sweets! Even the mere mention of him in conversation seemed to be enough to dampen the mood!

"What? Of course you're stimulating enough! But it's Sweets' fault! How can I show you how beautiful you are when that twit is the topic of conversation?" he shot out.

"Your lying is the topic of conversation, while Sweets just happens to be a small part of that conversation," she logically pointed out. "And while we are discussing it, while I am of the opinion that the label Zone of Truth is somewhat childish, I can approve of the basic idea behind it. I would like to understand why you lied to me."

Booth groaned inwardly. Here he was in the tub with Bones, naked and all, and he was stuck discussing the subject of lying to ones significant other.

"Does my coming home in after work and spending the evening with you make you happy, Bones?" he asked her. Might as well try and make her understand.

"Of course," she replied, thinking of the warm feelings she felt every time she heard the door open and he came into the apartment. Aside from going to sleep in his arms, and waking up with him in the morning, it was her favorite part of the day.

"Well, I'm the same way, Bones, when I know that when I come home you're here, or if you're not I know you're in the lab," he told her. "The key part of all that is I know you're safe, and our unborn daughter is safe. We have a job to do, Bones, and it's always been tough given the feelings we've had, even though we denied them for so damn long. But the idea that you are in danger makes it awful difficult to be able to do my job. I know some danger is always going to be out there in the field, but I won't apologize for keeping you safe when it's something like the tornadoes and all."

"Then you should talk to me, Booth, and not lie about it," she insisted. She managed to squirm a bit when she felt him becoming a bit hard. She smiled at that, knowing that she would be enjoying the more physical benefits of her relationship with Booth very soon. "And as for Sweets agreeing with you, I will be having a discussion with him about offering his opinions in what is a mere private matter between you and I," she added firmly.

Booth mentally did a touchdown dance at the thought of Bones giving Sweets the ass chewing the little twit deserved. No man cave, huh? Booth would make sure to get Bones ticked at the 12 year old enough times that Sweets would be begging her to allow the man cave!

"Then do you promise to listen to my concerns and take what I say seriously when it comes to your safety, as long as I'm not going overboard?" he asked her, letting her know by his tone he was not in the mood for explaining a colloquialism she was well aware of.

"I can agree to that, as long as you take my own views on the subject into account as well, and we reach mutually agreeable decisions as opposed to unilateral ones," she conceded. "_**And**_, no more lying about it."

"Fair enough, Bones," he told her, and leaned his head down, kissing the top of her head lightly.

Bones loved it when he did that, and took his hands bringing them with hers under her breasts, holding his arms about her comfortably. She had paid attention to him all those years he had told her about love, making love, and sharing the quiet moments in life with someone you love, but it amazed her even now how right he'd been. It made her regret the time lost in all the denial and evasions they'd exercised over the years, but she was working on not having the regret of those lost years. When she could enjoy an evening in a wonderful tub of appropriately heated water, leaning back against Booth with his strong arms around her, holding her, how could she have any time for regrets? For now, she would lull Booth into a false sense of security, enjoy the bath, and then ravish him until they both were too tired to move, falling asleep in his strong arms. She sighed. Life may not be perfect, but it was very close to how she imagined perfect could be.

_A/N: Well, I hope you enjoyed this one. It's more serious than some of the recent stories, but it's one I felt deserved to be written. Have a great holiday season. Gregg._


End file.
